Nakhon Nayok, 29th August 2018 – Provinces including Prachinburi and Nakhon Nayok have been put on alert as discharges from major dams to accommodate more rain this week could result in their rivers overflowing.
Nakhon Nayok has begun making flood prevention preparations after rain increased the amount of water in its nearby dams and local waterways. Soldiers have helped build sandbag barriers to protect the province’s main economic zone while authorities in Bang Aor, Baan Na and Ongkarak districts have set about warning residents of the flood risk.
Prachinburi River has been rising steadily and has already begun to overflow into low-lying areas of Muang, Sri Mahapoh, Kabintaraburi and Bang Sarng districts. Riverside communities have been told to move property to higher ground and drainage pipes have been closed off.
The Office of National Water Resources has made an announcement that both Prachinburi and Nakhon Nayok rivers have been swollen by a monsoon front crossing over both the Andaman Sea and Gulf of Thailand. The rivers are now threatening to breach their banks and made it necessary for Narubodindharajinda and Khun Dan Prakan Chon dams to increase their discharges. Combined with ongoing monsoonal rains, the areas around the two dams are now at high risk of flooding.
In Lopburi province, water from Kud Ta Petch Reservoir’s spillway has combined with water from Nakhon Ratchasima province to flood Mooban 3 of Nong Ri sub-district, impacting 51 households. The authorities have had to use flat bottom boats and military trucks to provide residents with food and drinking water as well as to move the infirm to hospitals.
The water level at Uttamanusorn Bridge in Kanchanaburi province meanwhile has risen by another 15 centimeters and is now just 270 centimeters under the walkway, prompting local people to move their belongings to higher ground and leave the area. More than 100 households have been affected and are being provided with assistance.
Minister of the Interior Gen Anupong Paojinda nonetheless pointed out that the water situation in Petchaburi province is no longer a cause for concern and that a let up in rainfall should allow Kanchanaburi province and the Mekong River to return to normal.
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